


all she wants in the world

by nonbinarywithaknife (littleboxes)



Series: me sobbing about critical role [25]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Spoilers for episode 52, for like one line beau said but i'll count it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-03 23:32:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17887205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleboxes/pseuds/nonbinarywithaknife
Summary: Beau asks her mother for a rat





	all she wants in the world

**Author's Note:**

> fuck beau's parents for real though

Beau is ten years old, and all she wants in the world is a pet rat. She knows if she just asks outright, Mother will say no, so instead, she researches. For once, when Ninette takes her to the library to study, she doesn’t huff or sigh or dig in her heels, but instead follows quietly. She asks Ninette to grab her all the books about rats, and, after being given a strange look, Ninette agrees. Beau spends the next week learning everything there is to know about rats.  

She cuts out slightly wobbly rectangles of paper, and, with perfect penmanship, writes out a fact on its own card, to make sure she won’t forget anything. In total, she has ten cards, and she’s rather pleased with her work. When Ninette asks what they’re for, Beau pauses. Ninette doesn’t normally care much about what Beau does, unless she’s throwing a fit. But- she wants to show someone all the work she’s done, and Ninette’s never been mean to her, exactly. So she reads all her cards to Ninette, and the woman gives her a few suggestions, a comma here, an adjustment there. Two weeks have passed before Beau is confident enough to approach her mother after dinner. 

She takes a deep breath, and thinks of Ninette helping her refine her proposal, and says, “Mother?”

Mother doesn’t look up from her crochet, of course, but Beau continues on. She pulls her cards from her pocket, and begins, making sure to smile just like Mother is always telling her to do. She’s not sure how well she pulls it off, but surely Mother will appreciate it? She’s on her eighth card, in a groove now, “-and rats are very smart, just as smart as pigs, even-,” when Mother interrupts her.

“I will not allow such a filthy creature in my home, Beauregard, and I will not hear about it again,” her Mother says, not having looked up from her project throughout any of Beau’s speech. Beau is trembling, a little, and she hates it. Hates her. The cards fall from her limp hands, fluttering to the ground, and Beau’s eyes are starting to water. Not in front of her, she thinks, and runs upstairs, to her room. 

She slams the door closed behind her, and jumps into her bed, burrowing under the covers and starts sobbing in earnest. She thinks she’ll probably be in trouble for that, later. Neither of her parents like it when she makes a mess, and they hate it when she slams her door. But she can’t bring herself to care. She clings to her pillow and stays curled up for- it feels like hours. Eventually, she sits up, eyes red rimmed, but angry, rather than upset, now. Good. She prefers being angry. It was just a stupid rat anyway, she thinks to herself, and ignores Ninette the next day when she tries to comfort her, and when Ninette won’t take the hint, screams at her. Eventually, Ninette stops trying. Beau knows she’s good at driving people away.

**Author's Note:**

> this is beau's list, if you're interested:
> 
> Beau’s Ten Fun Facts About Rats*  
> *every single one of these is true  
> -rats care about other injured and sick rats  
> -rats get lonely  
> -rats are very smart, and have excellent memories  
> -rats laugh when they play  
> -rats are susceptible to peer pressure  
> -rats are very clean, and they can spend all day grooming themselves  
> -they’re less likely to get diseases than cats AND dogs  
> -rats are shy  
> -rats use their tails to communicate  
> -rats make great pets cause they bond with their owners


End file.
